Rehearsals are underway for the first Summer Singing project of 2013, a performance of Mozart’s Sparrow Mass and the Pergolsi/Durante Magnificat. Rehearsals take place at 7pm on Wednesdays, typically in the Eliz Rooms in House 6 and occasionally in the Musuem Building. If you are interested in taking part in Summer Singing, please get in touch with us and we will add you to the mailing list. Alternatively, just turn up to a rehearsal!

Summer Singing was conceived as a simple way for members to continue singing with one another over the University’s summer break. The conductor and soloists for performances are typically drawn from the society’s membership. In the recent past, works such as Vivaldi’s Gloria and Mozart’s Coronation Mass have been performed, along with numerous smaller pieces.

Our new chamber ensemble Choral + will be giving its first public performance next week as part of the Trinity Week 2013 event programme. The concert will take place in the Ideas Space of the Long Room Hub on Tuesday 9th April from 6.30-7.15pm. The programme will include a selection of nine short pieces, from composers such as Bach, Mozart, Sullivan, Rossini and Mendelssohn. Admission to the concert will be free.

This week, UDCS presented two tremendously successful performances of Brahms’ Requiem and Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht. This brings an end to Choral’s main activities for this academic year. There is however, musch to look forward to over the coming weeks and months. Our newly formed chamber ensemble, Choral +, will present a short concert with a variety of diverse works in the Long Room Hub for Trinity Week, on Tuesday 9th April. In addition to this, the society’s Summer Singing initiative will relaunch over the coming weeks.

UDCS will be performing Brahms’ Requiem and Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht this week in the Examination Hall, TCD at 8pm on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

Student tickets at a special advance rate of €7 will be available at our stand in the Arts Block from 10am-3pm on Wednesday and Thursday.

We look forward to seeing a tremendous crowd at the concerts for these very special musical works.

Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st March at 8pm
Tickets: €15 / €10 (concession) – Available at door or online (see below)
Special student ticket price of €7 for tickets purchased in advance at our stand in the Arts Block during the week of the 18th of March.

Join the University of Dublin Choral Society in our upcoming performance of Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem and Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht.

Brahms’ Requiem is one of the most loved masterworks in the choral repertoire. In contrast to the great Requiems of Mozart and Verdi, it it is a non-liturgical work of mourning, offering consolation for the living. UDCS performed the Irish premiere of the piece in 1911.

The contrast with Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht could hardly be more great. It is a secular work concerning a conflict between Christians and pagans in the Harz mountains, with the text written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Soloists: Grace Bermingham (Soprano), Stuart Kinsella (Tenor) and Gyula Nagy (Bass).

Conducted by David Leigh

Our upcoming performances of Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem and Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht will take place in the Public Theatre, Trinity College on March 20 and 21 at 8pm. The soloists for the concerts will be announced shortly, and tickets will be available in the coming weeks.

In other news, UDCS will be taking part in the revival of the Choral Intervarsities, taking place at TCD this upcoming weekend. Our AGM will be on Wednesday 13th February, while the Cherry Cup competition will happen a week later on the 20th.

Our third rehearsal of the term will take place in Regent House at 7pm on Wednesday 30 January. This is the final opportunity for new members to join ahead of our upcoming performances of Brahms’ Ein deutches Requiem and Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht.

The coming weeks will be extremely busy for Choral, so make sure to be aware of the following dates:

Saturday 9th February – Competing in Intervarsities in Trinity College

Wednesday 13th February – AGM

Wednesday 20th February – Cherry Cup competition. Entry forms and music available at rehearsals

Also, keep your eyes open for the launch of the Choral + project (details to follow) in the coming weeks!

Many thanks to all that attended our first rehearsal of the term last week – preparations for the concerts are off to a great start. Rehearsals continue in Regent House on Wednesdays from 7pm. New members will still be welcome to join the choir at our rehearsals on 23rd and 30th January.

Also, we now have dates confirmed for the AGM and the annual Cherry Cup competition. They are the 13th and 20th of February respectively.

UDCS wishes all a wonderful Christmas and New Year. 2013 promises to be another tremendously exiting year for Choral. Our Hilary Term concert series will include performances of Brahm’s powerful German Requiem and Mendelssohn’s quirky Die erste Walpurgisnacht (The First Walpurgis Night). The upcoming term will also see the 2013 iteration of the Cherry Cup competition for unaccompanied vocal quartets. Stay tuned for more information regarding this event.

Rehearsals will commence on Wednesday 16th January at 7pm in Regent House (just above Front Arch). New members are welcome to join the choir on the night. If you have any questions regarding membership, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The time has finally arrived for Choral’s 2012 Christmas Carols performance in aid of the Simon Community. We will be performing between 1pm and 3pm at St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre on Saturday 15th December. The carol selection will include favourites such as Joy to the World, Away in a Manger, Ring Christmas Bells and a chorale from J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. We look forward to seeing a good turnout for the event and raising a generous sum for the Simon Community.

We welcome all those attending to bering along cameras and upload some photographs of the event to 7up.ie. For every photo uploaded, 7up will donate €1 to the Simon Community. For more information on the Dublin Simon Community, please visit their website at http://www.dubsimon.ie/Home.aspx